Grain-meter



(No Model.)

J. W. 'HILL.

GRAIN METER.

Patented Aug. 2,1881.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. HILL, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

GRAIN-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,167, dated August 2, 1881.

Application filed April 23, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN W. HILL, of Oincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Meters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improvement upon an automatic grain-weigher for. which Letters Patent were granted me April 15, 1873, May 18, 1880, and May 25,1880, (reissue;) and it consists in constructing the bicompartment bucket with an open bottom, each compartment consisting, essentially, ofa tube open at both ends,thelower ends of which alternately travel over plates attached to suitable projections from the suspenders, by means of which the bucket is hung from the steelyard or balance-beam in such a manner that when the empty compartment is in position to receive grain one of the plates before mentioned should form the bottom thereof. \Vhen the weighed load of grain has been taken and the latch or detent which holds the bucket in containing my improved bucket.

position to receive grain has been lifted from its corresponding notch in the sector the bucket tilts or oscillates on its support in the direction of the loaded compartment, by means of which the lower end of the full compartment travels oif the corresponding fixed bottom plate and uncovers or opens the bottom of the compartment to discharge the weighed load of grain, and the bottom of the empty compartment travels over its corresponding plate, which closes the lower opening, thus placing the previously empty compartment in position to receive grain. The plates which alternately cover and uncover the bottoms of the two compartments of the buckets are rigidly secured to the suspenders, and form a part thereof, the oscillation of the bucket causing the open bottoms of the compartments to travel across or over the plates, to close the compartments to receive grain and to open the compartments to discharge the grain when the weighed load has been taken.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of an automatic grain-weigher Fig.2 is a sectional elevation of the bucket,and Fig. 3 a cross-section of the bucket on the axis thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts.

(No model.)

A is the frame of a grain-weigher, furnished with the customary balance-beam or steelyard B and balancing-weight O.

The grain-bucket consists of two similar compartments, D and D, open at their upper ends, d d, for the reception of grain.

E E are the customary suspenders, by means of which the bucket is hung from the forward end, I), of the balance-beam.

d is the shaft, secured at the ends to thesuspenders upon which the bucket is mounted and turns.

G is the spout through which the grain flows to the bucket, provided with the cut-off g, operated by the rise and fall of the beam B.

d d are the sectors, attached to and arranged to oscillate with the bucket. (l d are the gravitating latches or detents, pivoted at one end to arms 0 c on the suspenders, and provided with studs (1 (1 which engage with notches (6* d in the sectors and retain the empty compartment of the bucket in position to receive grain.

I is a stop-rod, of which two are usually employed to disengage the studs (1 from the notches (1* and permit the bucket to oscillate upon its axis and discharge through theopenings (I the weighed loads of grain.

E E are curved plates attached to arms 0 c of the suspenders, which plates, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are so arranged with relation to the lower ends, (1, of the compartments D and D of the bucket as to form the bottoms of said compartments when in position to receive grain. TheplatesE E, although firmly secured to the arms 0 c, are made adj ustable to adapt the ma chine to the grain being weighed. Thus with a small grain, as flaxseed, the plate E must approach the bottom or end d of either compartment much closer than when oats or barley are to be weighed, to avoid leakage of grain between the edges of the bottoms or ends (2 and the plates E. The ends d of the two compartments are formed as spouts to facilitate and direct the delivery of the weighed grain.

The action of the bucket will be apparent from inspection ofFigs. 1 and 2. The compartment D, to the left in said figures, is in position to receive grain, the plate E covering the bottom thereof and preventing the passage of grain through the compartment. When the weighed load has been taken the bucket and forward end, I), of the beam descend until the studs (1 d of the latches or detents are lifted from the corresponding notches d d in the sectors. The bucket then, by virtue of the unbalanced load in the full compartment D, oscillates to the position shown in dotted lines, Fi g. 2, thus drawing the lower end or spout, d of the compartment D off its corresponding plate E, and permitting the free discharge of the weighed grain from the compartment D, and causing the lower end, (P, of the compartment D to travel over its corresponding bottom plate, E, and placing said compartment in position to receive grain.

The solid arrows in Fig. 2 show the compartment D as receiving grain from the spout G and the compartment D as discharging a weighed load \of grain. The dotted arrows show the reverse position, the compartment D as receiving and the compartment D as discharging grain.

It will be observed that the motion of the bucketin oscillating from right to left and back again describes a very small arc, and will asa consequence work with less hammer and noise than the form of bucket shown in my former patents.

The stop-rod I may be suspended from the upper part of the frame of the machine, as shown in Fi 1, or may be constructed as a bracket and secured to the frame A.

The two compartments D and D of the bucket are rigidly secured together, and oscillate on the shaft (1 as a single element.

In the form of bucket previously employed in the machine a large percentage of the volume was lost, in effect, and could not be filled with grain, while with this construction the full volume of the two compartments can be utilized and the weighing capacity of the machine increased from fifty to one hundred per cent.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In an automatic grain-weighing apparatus, the combination of suspenders connected at their upper ends with the balance-beam of a weighing mechanism, with two independent plates sustained in a fixed position at a suitable distance from each other, a bucket pivoted to the suspenders to oscillate in a vertical plane, and consisting of two similar compartments having open top and bottom ends, and an automatic device for lockin g and unlocking the bucket and suspenders, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic grain-weighing apparatus, the independent plates E E, sustained in a fixed position at a distance apart, in combination with an oscillating bucket suspended from the balance-beam of a weighing mechanism and composed oftwo similar compartments having open top and bottom ends, substantially as described.

3. In a grain-Weighing apparatus, the suspenders connected at their upper ends with the balanced beam of a weighing mechanism, and having at their lower portions laterallyeXtending arms provided with attached plates which are sustained at a fixed distance apart, in combination with a bucket arranged to oscillate in a vertical plane on the suspenders, and consisting of two similar compartments having open top and bottom ends, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to the foregoing specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOH\ W. HILL.

Witnesses:

EDGAR J. Gnoss, O. W. WITHENBURY. 

